Alan Yardley - RIP

As if this weekend wasn't bad enough I found out yesterday that a stalwart of the main stand passed away early Sunday morning. Alan had been a season ticket holder in the Director's Box for thirty-odd years, well liked by many around there who had come to know his Winston Churchill-esque stature and witty comments aimed at whichever poor palace manager was in the hotseat right in front of him at the time. He worked in orthodontics and operated out of Warlingham and he taught hundreds of kids to swim in his spare time and retirement. He became close to Ron Noades' and Steve Coppell's families and he had the early 90s team over for bbqs a few times, I think because Ron couldn't be bothered to host! In 1990 he lost a bet to his young daughter who was desperate for a pet pig. He really wasn't keen but he told her that if Palace beat Liverpool in the semi-final (it was a safe bet after the 9-0) she could have what she wanted. Fate took over and he watched a Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig named Four-Three destroy his garden over the next few years! He struggled to make games over the last year or two as ill health took its toll and we knew the end was near in the last week. We like to think his aim was to hold out for the cup final and we knew he listened to it in his care home. We'll joke at the funeral that it was palace that killed him and I know he would have laughed along with that. We really wanted the team to hold the lead for him on the day, and he would have rolled his eyes when the equaliser came, expecting nothing less. He was a great man, loved by many, and he will be sorely missed. RIP Alan.